ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pit — a hole
  11. content — happy
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bat — the animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. spring — of water
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spring — the season
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com